Drum weir



Filed Dec. 18, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR THEODOR BECHER ATTbRNEY DRUM WEIR Filed Dec. 18, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Y THEODOR @ECHER W 3 W ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 17, 1935 lTED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRUIW WEIR many Application December 18, 1934, Serial No. 758,004 In Germany March 21, 1931 4 Claims.

This invention relates to weirs and more particularly to drum weirs or roller dams of the types having hinged flaps or extension gates capable of being swung from collapsed to extended posi- 5 tion, and it is a continuation in part of my prior application filed in the Uni-ted States Patent Ofiice March 15, 1932, Serial No. 598,977, corresponding to my original application filed in the German Patent Ofiice March 21, 1931, No. M 1144510 ii/84a.

Drum weirs or roller dams comprise an elongated body, usually in the form of a cylinder or drum. These drums or roller dams are adapted to be positioned across the bed of a stream to dam the water when in a lowered position and to permit the water to flow unimpeded thereunder when raised. The ends of these damming elements are supported in suitable piers in such a manner as to permit the drums to be rolled upwardly and downwardly when desired.

In order to decrease the weight of the drum weirs or roller dams without correspondingly decreasing their height, designs have been emtension gates or flaps are usually pivotally mount- 3 from a collapsed to an extended position.

Various means have been employed for pivotally mounting the flaps or extension gates on the main body of the drum Wei-rs or roller dams,

and various mechanisms have been devised for moving such flaps or extension gates from one position to another, that is,-from collapsed to extended position and vice. versa.

A drum weir or roller dam having a pivoted or hinged flap or extension gate is usually so constructedthat when it is desired to elevate the device, the flap or extension gate portion thereof is first swung into collapsed position, in which position the entire body of the drum. weir has a substantially uniform configuration, that is, the drum has a substantially uniform cylindrical. exterior surface. After the flap or extension gate has been collapsed, the drum is rolled upwardly out of the water in a well known manner.

The hinges. employed for fastening the flap or extension gate on the drum are disclosed within the body of the drum, so as not to be exposed, and these hinges are so constructed as to permit free movement of the flap or extension gate from collapsed or extended position.

ed on the main body of the weirs for movement An object of the present invention is to provide an improved drum weir or roller dam having a flap or extension gate hinged thereto in such a manner that the joint between the main body of the drum and the hinged flap or extension 5 gate is sealed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved drum weir or roller dam having a pivoted flap or extension gate, in which means are employed for preventing water and 10 other matter from passing through the joint be-- tween the flap or extension gate and the main body of the drum weir or roller dam.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved drum. weir or roller dam of the character mentioned, which is simple in construction, and reliable and exact in function under all conditions of service.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the 20 features hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawing setting forth in detail an illustrative embodiment of the invention, this being indicative however, of but one of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In the accompanying drawings:--

Figure 1 is a transverse section through a drum Weir embodying the present invention, the flap or extension gate being shown in extended positign;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of a portion of the drum weir, taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section of the hinge connecting the flap with the main body of the drum showing the sealing means associated with the hinge for preventing leakage of water through the joint between the flap and drum.

Referring to the drawings, the drum weir ll may comprise a cylindrical body portion, preferably constructed of sheet metal, such as plate steel.

The sheet metal wall of the drum l I may be reinforced or braced in any suitable manner. 45 In the present instance braces in the form of a plurality of channels l2, l3 and M are shown These braces are arranged in the form of a triangle with the ends thereof fastened to gusset plates IS. The gusset plates i5 in turn are car- 5 ried by an annular or ring-like reinforcing member l6 arranged around the interior of the outer wall or shell of the drum II.

For a suitable distance around its periphery, an opening I5 is formed in the outer wall of 55 the drum H, for an extension gate or flap I! which is hingedly connected to the drum in the manner to be hereinafter more fully described.

A plate i8 extends across the drum i l beneath the opening H3 If so desired plate I8 may be disposed over brace l4 and be supported thereby, as shown in Fig. l.

The flap 'i is arcuate in cross section and when collapsed on the drum l l, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1, said flap is adapted to repose in the chamber or cavity formed in the drum above the plate l8 and form, with the main body of the drum, an annular body substantially circular in cross section.

The outer wall of the flap I1 is preferably formed from sheet metal, such as plate steel, and this wall is reinforced by a plurality of transverse, longitudinally spaced ribs I9 which fit the concave side of the flap in the manner shown in Fig. 1. Two of the ribs l9 are shown in Fig. 2. The number of such ribs obviously depends upon the length of the drum, but the ribs should be spaced sufficiently close to one another so as to effectively reinforce and prevent bending or distortion of the flap l1.

Disposed within the drum II and extending longitudinally therethrough, is a tubular member constituting a shaft 28 which is mounted in suitable bearings, such as those indicated at 2 I, Figs. 1 and 2. The shaft 28 should be of suificient diameter and strength to render the same proof against distortion.

At spaced points corresponding to the spacing of the flap ribs E9, the shaft 2!] carries levers 22. The levers 22 are fixed to the shaft 2t! and project outwardly therefrom in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1.

Each lever 22 has movably connected to its end, one end of a connecting rod 23. The 01:)- posite end of the connecting rod 23 is movably connected to corresponding rib I9 of the flap I'I. Each connecting rod 23 passes through an opening 3b in plate i8 heretofore referred to.

The means for turning shaft 20 whereby to effect opening and closing or raising and lowering of the flap I1, comprise a hydraulic cylinder 24 movable with respect to its plunger or piston 25, the latter of which is hinged at its outer end to the drum H, at 28.

Cylinder 24 is formed with outwardly projecting lugs or trunnions 21 to which are movably connected the outer ends of levers 28 projecting outwardly from shaft 29 and disposed at an angle to levers 22 heretofore referred to.

The fluid under pressure for the cylinder 24 may be supplied in any suitable manner, as for instance, by means of a flexible hose 29 connected through the wall of the drum H as shown in Fig. l to the end of said cylinder, it being obvious that with sufiicient slack such a supply hose will not interfere with the lowering of the drum to effective position in use and may simply wrap around the intermediate portion of the drum when the latter is raised.

Obviously when there is sufiicient pressure in the cylinder 26 the flap or gate 5'! will be held in elevated position as shown in Fig. 1, and when the pressure is relieved the flap will swing downwardly of its own weight and finally rest against the drum, completing the annular contour of the latter, as shown by the broken lines in Fig. 1.

In raising the flap or gate l1, movement is communicated through levers 28, shaft 20 and levers 22 to the connecting rods 23 and through the latter to the flap or gate l1, when the cylinder 24 moves, under internal pressure, on its plunger or piston 25.

As shown best in Fig. 3 the extension gate or flap ii is connected to the drum H by means of a hinge 3i, comprising leaves or hinge sections 32, 33 fastened, respectively, to the underside of the drum H and the flap ll, so that said hinge will be disposed within the drum.

The hinge sections 32, 33, which extend longitudinally of the drum, are formed with tubular knuckle portions 34, 35 respectively.

As shown in Fig. 2, the knuckle portions 34, 35 alternate, and these knuckles are interconnected by means of a hinge rod which also extends longitudinally of the drum.

Any suitable means may be employed for secur ing the hinge sections 33 to the drum H and flap H, respectively. In the present instance bolts 3'5, 33 are shown.

The underside of the hinge section 32 is formed with a depression or undercut portion 39, and the underside of the hinge section 33 is also formed with a depression or undercut portion 49. These undercut portions are located along the edge portions of the hinge sections adjacent the knuckles 54, 35.

Underlying the hinge 3i and having one edge portion disposed in the depression or undercut portion 39 of hinge section 32 and its other edge portion disposed in the depression or undercut portion 2!) of the hinge section 33, is a packing or sealing strip 4!.

As shown in Fig. 3 the edge portions of the packing strip M disposed, respectively, in the depressions or undercut portions 39, 4 2, may be clamped to the hinge sections 33 by longitudinal plates 42. 43, respectively, said plates 42, 43 being retained in place against the hinge sections by the bolts 31. 38, respectively.

The construction of the hinge 3! and the manner of attaching the packing strip 4! thereto is such, that the packing strip bridges the hinge joint between the drum H and the flap I1, and yet may yield toward and from the joint when the flap i1 is raised and lowered as will be plainly seen by a comparison of the full and dotted lines in Fig. 3.

Since the packing or sealing strip 4| is adapted to move or flex in accordance with movements imparted to the flap i1 away from and toward the drum H, as has heretofore been described, it is of advantage to construct said packing or sealing strip from some suitable flexible material. Obviously any suitable flexible material may be used for the packing or sealing strip 4!, such as rubber or rubber composition, leather, rubber with inlays of linen, linen strips soaked in tar or otherwise treated with some suitable material to render the same soft and pliable under all conditions of service, thin sheets of copper or any non-rusting pliable flexible material. In actual practice I have found sheet rubber suitable for use as a packing or sealing strip and, therefore, in the accompanying drawings (Fig. 3) the packing strip has been so designated. However, it will be understood that any other suitable flexible material can be employed when desired, in lieu of the rubber packing strip 4! shown.

From the foregoing description it will be noted that I have provided an improved drum weir or roller dam having a flap pivotally connected to the body of the device by means of hinge sections disposed within said drum and so constructed as to permit free swinging movement of the flap from a collapsed to an extended position. Un-

derlying the hinged joint between the flap and the main body of the device is a flexible member which extends across the hinge for the purpose of sealing the hinged joint between the flap and body.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. In a weir, the combination with a main body portion, a flap, hinge sections carried respectively by said body portion and said flap for pivotally connecting said flap to said body portion, said hinge sections being disposed on the interior of the weir, a flexible member underlying said hinge sections and coextensive therewith for sealing the hinged joint between the main body portion and said flap, and means for fastening said flexible member to said hinge sections.

2. A drum weir comprising an elongated semicylindrical body, a flap movable with respect to the body and adapted when collapsed thereon to form with the body a drum substantially circular in cross section, means for pivotally connecting said flap to said body comprising hinge sections mounted respectively along the adjacent edges of said flap and said body, said hinge sections being disposed within said drum and permitting free swinging movement of the flap with respect to the main body of the drum from a collapsed to an extended position, and a flexible member underlying said hinge sections and having its edges connected respectively to the flap and to the drum.

3. In a weir, the combination with a main body portion having an exterior surface exposed to the Water dammed by the weir and an opposite surface not exposed to the water, a flap also having surfaces similar to the exterior and interior surfaces of the body portion, means for pivotally connecting the flap to the body portion comprising hinge sections mounted respectively along the adjacent edges of said body portion and said flap, said hinge sections being disposed on the interior of the weir, tubular knuckle portions formed on said hinge sections, said knuckle portions being disposed within said weir, a hinge rod interconnecting said knuckle portions, said hinge sections permitting free swinging movement of the flap with respect to the main body portion from a collapsed to an extended position, a longitudinal depression formed in each hinge section adjacent the tubular knuckle portion thereof, a flexible member bridging the hinged joint between said main body portion and said flap and having its opposite edge portions disposed in said longitudinal depressions, and means for securing the edge portions of said flexible member to said hinge sections.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with a main body portion, an element movable with respect tothe main body portion, means for pivotally connecting said element to the body portion comprising hinge sections disposed respectively along the adjacent edges of said body portion and said element, each of said hinge sections comprising a tubular knuckle portion and a body portion, a depression formed longitudinally in each hinge body portion, means for connecting the knuckles of the hinges together, a flexible member underlying the knuckles and having its opposite longitudinal edges disposed in said longitudinal depressions, a plate disposed longitudinally of each hinge section and underlying the marginal portion of said flexible member for retaining said flexible member in position in said depression, and bolts for fastening said hinge sections respectively to said main body portion and said movable element, said bolts passing respectively through said hinges, said flexible member, and said plates.

THEODOR BECHER. 

